A teacher who worked at a failing “super school” was today banned from the profession for six months after she was convicted of drink driving twice.

Mother-of-two Helen Ann Calton was more than two-and-a-half times over the legal limit the first time she was caught in 2006 and more than three-and-a-half times the limit in 2013.

Mrs Calton, who had taught religious education at Ysgol Clywedog High School, Wrexham, found on Thursday to have breached the teachers code of conduct and her name was removed from the register.

She did not attend the Professional Conduct Committee hearing of the General Teaching Council for Wales (GTCW) held at St David’s hotel, Ewloe, and was not legally represented.

The panel heard Mrs Calton had blamed the second incident on her having received a redundancy notice from Ysgol Clywedog where she had worked for 10 years and the school being plunged into special measures because it was not up to scratch.

Committee members heard the first offence happened on June 17 2006 when Mrs Calton was breathalysed and found to have 93mcg of alcohol in 100mls of breath - the legal limit is 35mcg per 100mls of breath.

She was later convicted at Wrexham Magistrates court after pleading guilty to drink driving. Mrs Calton was sentenced to a community order for 12 months, a supervision requirement and banned from driving for two years.

The hearing was told the GTCW was unaware of the conviction because North Wales police did not inform them.

On the second occasion on June 7 2013 Mrs Calton, who has more than 20 years experience as a teacher, was caught with 134mcg of alcohol in her system.

Again she appeared before magistrates in Wrexham and again pleaded guilty to the charge of drink driving. This time she was handed a community order lasting until June 9 this year, a six-month supervision requirement, a programme requirement to attend a drink impaired drivers programme for 14 days and a three-year driving ban.

Huw Roberts, presenting officer for the GTCW, said on this occasion North Wales Police did inform the council.

Mr Roberts said: “Mrs Calton was significantly over the limit on both occasions. The significance was reflected in the sentence imposed by the magistrates court.”

He read a letter out to the hearing in which Mrs Calton offered mitigation for both offences.

She said the first time she was caught it did not take place during school time, had happened at the weekend and she had driven no more than a mile.

On the second occasion Mrs Calton said that on March 15, 2013, she had received notification of redundancy after 10 years at the school and the school had received an unfavourable inspection and was in special measures.

She said: “The two factors combined caused me considerable stress and I became depressed. During this time I had been using alcohol to alleviate my depression.”

Mrs Calton said on the morning of June 7 she had been off work for a week ill when she drove from her home at Ryder Close, Wrexham, to the nearby Co-op shop on Dean Road, Wrexham.

Mr Roberts then read a statement from PC Ian Evans who described how he was in a marked police car on patrol in the area when at 2.57pm he received a call of a suspected drink driver in a black Fiat Punto.

He said he arrived at Mrs Calton’s home and spotted the car outside.

PC Evans said: “The front door was open and I could see a female staggering around in the house. She was slurring her words and I thought this female was drunk.”

The officer breathalysed her and she told him she had been drinking from a bottle of white Pinot Grigio. She told the officer. “I know I am over the limit.”

Mrs Calton was arrested and during a police interview admitted drinking two bottles of 13% wine the night before and from a third bottle of white wine the following morning. She said she had driven to the shops to buy more wine.

After the committee had finished deliberating Richard Parry Jones, committee chairman, said: “We have considered all the evidence and information presented to us very carefully and we consider that the facts of offences one and two are proved.”

Referring to last year’s drink drive incident he said: “Mrs Calton breached the code of practice and professional conduct for teachers in that she failed to uphold public trust in the teaching profession by engaging in criminal activity. Mrs Calton was not mindful of her position as a role model for pupils or that her criminal behaviour may damage the trust and confidence placed in her personally and the teaching profession as a whole.”

As well as the six-month ban, before reapplying to the register Mrs Calton must provide the GTCW with a written report from an occupational health professional confirming she is physically and mentally fit to teach. She has 28 days to appeal the decision.

Ysgol Clywedog High School and Wrexham’s second “super school” Ysgol Rhosnesni were both placed in special measures by Estyn after their performances were deemed unsatisfactory by inspectors.

Both schools were formed by the £22.5m reorganisation of secondary education in Wrexham in 2005.